


Dawning of Destiny

by AFSTexaCali93



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Bonding, Borderline Romantic, Distant Memory, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fate & Destiny, Grief, Male-Female Friendship, Revelations, Will They or Won't They?, twist of fate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 13:18:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12277266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AFSTexaCali93/pseuds/AFSTexaCali93
Summary: Chakotay tells Kathryn about meeting the little girl who gave him the rose. A startling discovery unfolds.





	Dawning of Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> The sequel to "Rose of Destiny"
> 
> Takes place right after "The Gift."
> 
> No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Star Trek: Voyager and all its characters created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor. Based upon "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry. Copyright goes to Paramount Studios and CBS Television Distribution.

Staring up at the starry sky above Lake George, Kathryn and Chakotay were lying on the grass on their backs, reminiscing what they knew about the legends that surrounded the cosmos. Her spirits were lifted with each passing second. After coming close to dying at the hands of the Borg, Kathryn was experiencing a jumble of emotions. There were a lot of questions she had regarding her experience and the knowledge she had about any sort of afterlife, and they would likely remain unanswered.

 

After discussing the whimsical nature of destiny and how it always worked in the strangest of ways, a thought entered Chakotay’s mind. “You know, this reminds me of something.”

 

Kathryn turned her head to face him. “What?”

 

“A little girl I met when I was nine years old.”

 

Kathryn’s blue eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Tell me about her.”

 

Chakotay took a deep breath as he recalled what happened that day. “My father and I were at the Starfleet Municipal Hospital in San Francisco, visiting a friend of his who was suffering from an agressive form of Rushton infection. My best friend Ricardo was there too. It was there my father told me that he and his family would have to move to Excalia II so he could receive long-term treatment there. Because there was no Starfleet roaming device at the time, we couldn’t keep in touch.” He took another deep breath as a tear began to fall. “I remember running out of his father’s room and crying on a bed in an empty patient room. The one true friend I had then was leaving me, and I was never going to see him again.”

 

Kathryn silently listened with a look of compassion on her face.

 

“But then, a little girl came into the room. I couldn’t speak English very well at the time, so the universal translator helped us understand what we were saying.”

 

“What did she do?” Kathryn was very curious.

 

“She asked me why I was crying. I told her it was because my best friend was going away and I was going to be all alone.” He turned and looked at her. “She was just a child, possibly four years old, but she told me that her father would leave for work for a while, I’d guess days at time. But he would always be there in her heart, no matter the distance. I was told that once, but I never really understood until that day.”

 

Kathryn smiled sweetly.

 

“She decided right then and there that she would be my friend, too. She had a bouquet of roses with her, and she gave me one as a token of that friendship. I never forgot her act of kindness. She even gave me a kiss on the cheek before she left.”

 

“That’s such a nice story,” Kathryn whispered, a hint of a tear forming in her eyes. “Did you ever see Ricardo again?”

 

“Believe it or not, yes I did,” Chakotay answered, “We met again at Starfleet Academy after we separately passed the entrance exams. We reestablished our friendship and spent a lot of time together until we both graduated. We kept in touch regularly. After ten years with Starfleet, he retired so he could follow his dream of becoming a reporter. When the treaty with the Cardassians was formed, he joined the Maquis as a pilot and journalist. His reason for joining was to avenge his fiancee, who had been brutally murdered at the hands of two Cardassians.”

 

Kathryn’s eyes widened. She could picture the scene in her head, and it was horrible. “Did you two work together in the Maquis?”

 

“Yes,” Chakotay continued, “When he heard that I had joined, he requested a transfer to my ship. We stuck together as always, through thick and thin.”

 

“I’d like to meet him someday. I’m sure I have a lot I could talk with him about.”

 

That remark caused Chakotay’s face to reflect deep sadness. Kathryn’s curiosity turned into worry. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” Chakotay replied sadly, “About five days before my ship got pulled into the Delta Quadrant, we were attacked by a rogue Cardassian ship. He was sitting in front of the cockpit, using his piloting skills to evade their phaser fire. One phaser struck the ship and the console exploded…” he paused, trying hard not to break down in tears again. He couldn’t stop one from falling, though.

 

Kathryn understood instantly. He lost his best friend and his life back home on the same week. She put her hand on his shoulder. “Oh, Chakotay. I’m so sorry.”

 

Chakotay nodded his acknowledgement of her condolences. “Losing my father was hard enough, but losing my best friend nearly pushed me over the edge. I was miserable, lost, and angry. I hated the Cardassians more than ever. And then we were pulled into the Delta Quadrant. I thought at that moment my life was all but over. But then I met all of you, and I think you know how it all unfolds.”

 

Kathryn nodded as she sat up. “What about the little girl? Did you ever see her again?”

 

Chakotay nodded. “Yes.”

 

“Who were the roses for?”

 

Chakotay sat up to face her. “She said they were for her mother, who had just had a baby girl.”

 

Kathryn gasped. “That sounds an awful lot like the time my sister Phoebe was born!” She recalled what she remembered that day. “I was only four, so my memory at the time was sketchy. But I clearly remember hearing a boy crying and giving him a rose to cheer him up. I don’t remember his name, and I never saw him again after that.”

 

“I remembered the girl’s name.”

 

“Really? What was it?”

 

Chakotay answered through his eyes. Kathryn’s heart began to beat rapidly as realization dawned. “Wait! That boy…that was you?!”

 

Chakotay smiled warmly, “Yes.”

 

“So…” Her body started to tremble. “ _I_ gave _you_ that rose?”

 

“Yes.”

 

The shock Kathryn felt was none like she had ever felt. She wrapped her arms around herself, on the verge of hyperventilating. “How did you know?”

 

“If you calm down, I’ll explain,” Chakotay gently urged. She willed herself to regain control of her composure, taking deep breaths to release the tension.

 

“The day I first beamed aboard the Bridge, do you remember how you had to stand between me and Tom before a brawl broke out?”

 

Kathryn nodded silently.

 

Chakotay considered his words carefully. “When you were in my face, you had a strong, authoritative look in your eyes. To be honest, as terrifying as it was, I found it impressive. Right at that moment, I saw a glimmer that seemed very familiar, like I had seen it somewhere before. At first, I thought it was just a fluke, or that I was in a fit of loneliness from losing Ricardo.”

 

“But then when I made you my first officer and we began spending more time together,” Kathryn began.

 

“I realized that it was true,” Chakotay finished. “The glimmer of the eyes, the cheerful smile, the kindness, everything matched the girl perfectly. It was the moment our two crews began to merge that I realized that I had met her again.” He looked at her intently. “I met _you_ again, Kathryn.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” She gently demanded.

 

Chakotay sighed deeply. “I wanted to for a long time. Believe me, I did. But, I wasn’t sure if you would remember any part of it or how you would react. As time went on and the responsibility of my duties increased, I kept pushing it into the back of my mind. But then, tonight it hit me. When I saw you lying on the biobed in Sickbay after we severed Seven of Nine’s link with the Borg Collective, I realized that I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you.” 

 

His heart thudded in his chest as he took her hand. “Kathryn, I didn’t know it then, but in a way, you saved me. Like I told you in my Angry Warrior story, I was struggling with my inner darkness. And not once, but **twice** , just when I was about to reach that point of no return, you pulled me out of it.”

 

Kathryn looked down at their joined hands through teary eyes before looking him in the eye again. The wave of overwhelming emotions left her unable to speak, but the look in her eyes said it all; his words touched her in a way she had never felt before, even more so than the Angry Warrior speech.

 

For countless moments, neither of them said a word. The only sounds that came out was the sound of labored, but steady breathing over the pounding of two human hearts. They unconsciously scooted closer to one another, keeping their hands together. Soon, they were mere inches away from each other’s faces. Their eyes were locked on one another, waiting for a response.

 

“Chakotay, I…I…” Kathryn’s eyelids grew heavy, but she held still.

 

… … …

 

*Kim to Chakotay.*

 

The incoming comm signal brought the command duo out of their trance. She was ordered to be off duty for the rest of the day, so any calls from the Bridge went to him. 

 

Chakotay tapped his comm badge. “Go ahead.”

 

“We’ve encountered an M-class planet Neelix says is abundant in dilithium and other resources. If you’re available, we can discuss plans to send an away team down.”

 

“Acknowledged, I’m on my way,” Chakotay answered, closing the comm link.

 

“Chakotay,” Kathryn started as they both stood up.

 

“Yes?”

 

She smiled warmly. “Thank you for telling me. I can’t tell you how deeply touched I am.”

 

He smiled back. “I’m very fortunate to have a strong partnership with you, but even more so that I’ve gained a dear friend in you. I’ll always be grateful for that.” 

 

He turned towards the open field. “Computer, display exit.”

 

The holodeck doors materialized and opened.

 

“I should turn in for the night. I’ll see you in the morning,” Kathryn informed.

 

“I’ll brief you on what we discuss.”

 

Before he could walk out of the holodeck, however, she grabbed his arm, leaned in towards his face, and pressed her lips to his cheek. Chakotay’s heart jumped at this surprising move by his captain, his friend, his savior.

 

“What was that?” Chakotay asked once she pulled back.

 

“A mark of gratitude,” Kathryn answered, blushing, “and I guess a reminder of a shared memory.” She then walked out the holodeck doors, heading for her quarters.

 

Chakotay stood still for a minute, letting her affectionate gesture sink in. It didn’t make sense as to how, after all these years, they managed to find each other through the endless boundaries of the universe. As crazy as it sounded, he believed that perhaps they were meant to meet again through a blessing from the Sky Spirits or some other kind of fate twist.

 

He would likely never know how destiny works the way it does, but one thing was for sure; one way or the other, he would treasure his bond with Kathryn Janeway more than ever. That spark of hope fueled his resolve as he called out for the computer to end the holoprogram and head to the Bridge.


End file.
